Founding Partners
The Nelson Mandela Institute has partnered with the University of Fort Hare and the Nelson Mandela Foundation in a working alliance between civil society, the tertiary education sector and government.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF), through the Centre of Memory and Dialogue, contributes to the making of a just society by promoting the values, vision and work of Mr Mandela.
Over the past five years, the NMF has been instrumental in launching the Nelson Mandela Institute as an organisation dedicated to taking forward Mr Mandela’s legacy in the areas of education and rural development. Through its Centre of Memory and Dialogue, the NMF continues to work closely with the NMI to establish strategic public dialogue around issues of public education and rural development.
As the alma mater of Mr Mandela and other African liberators, the University of Fort Hare is committed to quality education for all South Africans. Based on three campuses, with a largely rural constituency, the university strives to become a centre of excellence in education and rural development and is uniquely positioned to prioritise the rural agenda.
The NMI is based within the Faculty of Education at the university and works closely with the staff in the relevant departments to strengthen teacher training and research that serves rural constituencies. The NMI also works on curriculum innovation and research across disciplines and faculties at the university, and runs the grounding programme.
The Department of Education holds the mandate to provide all children with a quality system of education and it is therefore vital that the NMI works closely with all levels of the department, including the national, provincial, district, and school levels.
Work at the national and provincial levels focuses on policy, dialogue and strategic planning, while work at the district and school levels focuses on establishing active and sustainable NMI projects.
By working with government, the NMI is able to run pilot projects on a scale that is designed to inform the governmental strategies for wider application. The NMI currently has strategic working relationships with both the Basic Education and Higher Education and Training ministries.